Archbishop of Dublin claims 'strange goings-on' in Maynooth seminary as he relocates trainee priests

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has decided to stop sending trainee priests from the diocese to St Patrick’s College, Maynooth because he is worried at the “atmosphere” at the seminary.

Asked about the decision of the Dublin archdiocese to send its three seminary students next autumn to the Irish Pontifical College in Rome rather than to Maynooth, Dr Martin told The Irish Times: “I wasn’t happy with Maynooth..."

He added: “There seems to an atmosphere of strange goings-on there, it seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around.

“I don’t think this is a good place for students,” he said.

“However, when I informed the president of Maynooth of my decision, I did add ‘at least for the moment’.”

The Archbishop’s decision to send his students to Rome comes after anonymous letters were circulated in clerical circles about student activities in Maynooth, including an allegation that some seminarians had used a dating app.

Dr Martin made no comment on those reports, saying only that he himself had a “certain bonding” with Rome and that he felt the Irish college there offered “a good grounding” in the Catholic faith.

Before being appointed Archbishop of Dublin in 2004, Dr. Martin had worked in the Holy See in Rome for 25 years, mainly at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Maynooth currently has around 60 seminarians in residence.